UVA Killer Jesse Matthew Given Four Life Sentences After Pleading Guilty

Matthew, 34, admitted that he killed UVA students Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington in a plea deal that staved off a death penalty ruling.

Accused killerJesse Matthew pleaded guilty to the murders of University of Virginia students Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington and was given four life sentences, NBC News reports. Matthew, 34, was already serving three life sentences for a 2005 rape and attempted murder case in Washington’s Northern Virginia suburbs.

Matthew, who worked at UVA’s medical center as a technician, was employed there went the students went missing at separate times. Harrington, 20, was abducted by Matthew in 2009 during a Metallica concert on UVA’s Charlottesville campus. Graham, 18, was a sophomore student who went missing in 2014 after spending an evening out with her friends.

From NBC News:

Matthew, 34, did not shed any tears as he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of abduction with intent to defile in a Charlottesville, Virginia courtroom. He received a life sentence on each charge.

Matthew also appeared to show little emotion as two impact statements were read by members of the Graham and Harrington families.

Susan Graham said that Matthew murdered her daughter for his own wicked perversions, leaving her body “to be picked over by buzzards”.

Matthew did not give a statement during the hearing, though his lawyer said that Matthew was sorry for what happened.

Matthew was named a person of interest after Graham went missing, and he vacated the area. Matthew was found on a beach in Texas and charged with abduction with intent to defile. A DNA sample connected him to the 2005 rape and attempted murder case. That same sample led investigators to connect Matthew to the murder of Harrington.